Haircuts
by Unlucky-charm
Summary: I had them both in front of me, defenseless and vulnerable, but I was the one who was truly scared. Near won't let me touch them. How were they back? And what is it that's so different about them? I doubt it's the hair. Several POVs. Major LxLight
1. Chapter 1

Haircuts

Chapter 1

By, the Unlucky-charm

I could have jumped. I really could have. And the last thing I want people to think is that I wasn't able to go through with it. That's not what happened. It could have been so easy for me. One more step, falling...and then it would have been over, only that's not what happened, was it.

"Misa don't!" I heard her voice from behind me. The wind was pretty strong that day and standing at the top of the building wasn't helping either; I couldn't tell right away that it was her.

I turned around slowly, as if I was on my way towards death already. Sayu, Light's sister, stood behind me, her hand extended as if she was about to catch me...metaphorically, she did.

"Don't do this Misa. Please." She had tears in her eyes. Tears of a child who was afraid. Why was she afraid? I was the one about to jump. Turns out, I wasn't so grown up either.

"Why? He's dead Sayu. I don't...I feel lost." I stuttered, not really understanding my words myself, let alone expecting her to.

"Then find yourself! The Misa I know is strong! She would be able to go through this." She was almost crying now. "Light wouldn't have wanted you dead."

"Kira would have." I spat and those words must have jabbed her hard, because just the thought made me want to puke.

"H-he...he was wrong. What he did was wrong. You've surely realised that, Misa! So why are you doing this? You're not his follower anymore, you're not his pet, you're free! Why would you give up now?"

She was right, but that didn't make me want to step down. Next thing I knew, I was numb. I prayed the wind wouldn't blow too hard against my back, or else I would have surely fallen. I felt a hand brush up against mine and my mind went instantly to Light...which led to Kira. Tears began to well up in my eyes as Sayu's soft hands pulled me down and dragged me home, where it was safe.

I won't lie to you, the kid did put me back on my feet. She's the whole reason I'm even here, in this office, running my own company. After my attempt at suicide, I quit my modeling career. The publicity was too much. If what Sayu said was true, about me being free, I wanted it to be 100 percent effective and people following me around with cameras did NOT appeal to that notion.

Of course, I never forgot about him, but that doesn't mean I still love him. The second he died, it all hit me straight in the face. He had used me, hurt me...and that was enough for me to hate him. Today, I don't dwell too much on such old and faded memories and I rather concentrate on new ones. For example, how me and my business partner, Sayu, are rapidly making our way up the corporate ladder, soon to be a very successful company. But not too successful...never too successful, I'm not going back to the fame and fortune, that life is not for me, at least not anymore.

Everything was going well, my life was finally plain and simple. The most exciting thing going on was Sayu's recent engagement to Matsuda and for once, I wasn't the one in the spotlight, but just another face in the crowd. It felt relieving and just generally great.

"Miss Amane, will you help us with the planning?" He had asked me, his goofy grin on his face as usual, so how could I refuse? I only wish he'd start calling me Misa, after all, I WAS going to be the maid of honour at his wedding.

Unfortunately, this short lived normal life came to an end when I lost my sight. No, I didn't go blind, but I could no longer see the names or the life spans, they just disappeared. For a moment I panicked because when shit like that happened, it was usually associated with Shinigami, Death Notes, detectives, police or worse, Light Yagami.

"Sayu! Oh dear God, Sayu!" I remember having cried over her.

"It's okay Misa, I mean, isn't this kind of a good thing?" She said with a comforting smile. In response, I gave her a questioning look, because I really could NOT see the positive side of this.

"Well, doesn't this kind of mean the effects of the Death Note are wearing off?"

"M-Maybe?" I mumbled.

"Well doesn't this mean you get your original life span back?"

Only Sayu. Only Sayu could somehow find a way to make a situation like this into a good thing. She was right though, it did make sense and I really wouldn't mind getting my full life back. Dying at the age of 22 wasn't very appealing to me. I still did find it odd that the effects would just suddenly disappear, but I didn't ask questions. As long as people weren't dying, I couldn't care less what happened.

Until that night.

It was two days after the disappearance of my sigh and hopefully the prolongation of my life. I had just gotten home from a conference and I was dead tired. Sayu was still at work, the poor thing, but she was the one who insisted on working over time. I wondered how Matsuda felt about his wife working longer than him. Huh, the guy's so sweet, the thought probably never even crossed his mind.

However, believe it or not, I didn't live on my own. I had a roommate, you probably know him as Near. Yes, I live with Near and no, there is absolutely nothing romantic between the two of us. After the whole Death Note incident was over and Near took all the credit, (even though I and a lot of others knew it was all the work of L) the kid had nowhere to go. His childhood wasn't really a normal one either and to keep it simple here, the guy was just fucked up. So I took him in, fixed him up. An indirect thank you to the Gods for having sent me Sayu, so as a form of repayment to my debt, I helped out Near.

Anyways, back to the story. So, I had just gotten home from a conference and I was dead tired. All the lights were off which always bothered me because walking in the dark with a pair of heels wasn't the safest thing to do. A little surprised, because Near always left the light on for me, I walked into the house prudently. I didn't dare call out for the guy because he was probably asleep...unemployed bastard.

"M-Misa?" I heard his broken voice from inside one of the rooms down the hall. He sounded scared; I immediately went into protective mother mode.

"Near? Are you okay?"

When he didn't answer me, I took a few cautious steps forward into the dark, wishing I had turned the light on sooner. Suddenly, rapid thudding noises were heard and slowly got louder and louder. Before I could react, Near had run straight into me, clinging to the clothes on my waist.

"Misa...Misa, it's crazy..." He breathed into my shirt, almost sobbing. Whatever had happened must have been very serious because I had never seen Near like that before.

"Near, what's wrong?" I asked him, feeling his arms to see where he was standing exactly. As I patted him down, I felt a weight in his hand. He was holding the baseball bat I had asked him to keep by his bed. He was holding it tightly in his fist and wouldn't let go when I tried tugging at it. I was about to praise him on his quick thinking when I heard footsteps coming towards us from the hall...in fact, if I was hearing correctly, there were two pairs of footsteps.

Panicked, I began feeling around the wall for the light switch I so dearly wanted to find. I felt pressure when I heard Near whispering desperately against my chest where he had now nuzzled his head.

"Hurry Misa, please."

When I finally found it I yelled a small "aha!" and turned it on. As the light blinded me and my eyes began to adjust, I was met with a mass of white hair, belonging to none other than Near who still clung to me hopelessly. I wondered why he was still so scared, now that the lights were on. But it was beyond those white locks where the true mystery lied.

Before me, in my house, in the middle of the hallway, stood the great detective L and his rival, Light Yagami.

I was going to be home late, as usual. I always thought working over time was important, but I have to admit that I'm kind of getting tired of it. I need my sleep and more importantly, I need to spend more time with my fiancé. I wish I could get my work done as fast as Misa, but that woman goes just so damn fast, it's unbelievable how she doesn't miss a single detail.

I was about to send in the information on the new product when my phone began to ring. I was about to ignore it when I saw the caller ID. It was Misa, and that barely every happened when I was at work. She refused to 'bother' me, no matter how many times I have told her that I don't mind.

"Hello?" I said, keeping the phone between my cheeks and my shoulder.

"Sayu? It's...it's Misa, I need you to get over here, NOW." She sounded like she had lost her mind, which worried me for a second.

"Misa, are you all right?"

"N-no, but it's not me...it's...can you please..." Her voice was cracking into sobs and I was already putting my coat on.

"Sure, I'm coming as fast as possible...hang in there okay." I wasn't sure what to say, especially when I had no idea of the situation. I just hope she wasn't having another emotional breakdown. Those were a bitch. But what made me rush over there at top speed was the sound of panicked cries in the background. They belonged to Near I was sure...now THAT was something to be worried about.

I hoped into my car and sped over there, Misa's deep, rugged breaths still beating against my ear through the phone. I didn't hang up just in case whatever it was got worse, but I could still hear Near crying, so things were probably already pretty bad.

"Misa I'm here." I spoke though the phone as I made my way up the porch. She didn't answer me but I could still hear their sobs and breaths. What the hell happened? I wondered.

I hang up. The door to the small house was left unlocked, something Misa would never do. What could have possibly happened? I began to get scared myself. I stepped into the house, only to see Misa and Near standing in a dim light, leaning over something. Without saying a word, but making noise with my steps so that they knew I was here, I made my way towards them. Wait, what was that Misa was holding? Was that a baseball bat? Were they getting robbed? Did someone try to break in?

None of those assumptions were even close, when I stopped dead in my tracks and gasped.

There before me, lay the detective Ryuzaki and my brother Light.

"Did you...?" I heard Sayu mumble from beside me. I was too shocked to turn around and face her, but I understood how she would have finished that question.

I nodded slowly. "I panicked."

"I don't blame you." She whispered eerily. Heck, this whole fucking situation was eerie!

"Is it really them?" Near began this time, the remaining of some terrified tears running down his face.

Sayu leaned over to get a better look at the two. I saw a shudder run through her body at the sight of his brother.

"Yeah, pretty sure." She breathed.

Behind us, I heard Near take a deep breath. It was the ones he would take before going into deep thought. I didn't have the heart to tell him that he would have to breathe a lot more to figure out this shit. It must be a bad joke and so far that was my only reasoning of why the hell Light and L were laying there on the floor. Well, I knew why they were (because I hit them over the head with a baseball bat), but that still didn't explain how they were alive.

"Tie them up." Near suddenly stepped in. "We don't know who they are, what they want and if they're dangerous." His tears had dried and he had gone into detective mode. Sayu and I thought it best to listen to him.

L was easy to drag onto a chair seeing as he barely weighed anything, but Light took two people, neither of them being me. I couldn't bare the sight of him, Sayu made me sit that one out. I won't lie though. It felt so good to see him tied up, vulnerable, defenceless... I could do anything to him. I could destroy him. He was at my mercy, I owned him. There was nowhere he could go, the world believed him dead and until now, so did I. Sorry Light, looks like you're not going to win this one.

"Don't hurt him yet." Near said to me. "You're not the only one who wants to rip him to shreds right now, but we have to wait. There must be an explanation."

"And you're gonna figure that all out on your own? I'd help, but I'm still having trouble believing that my brother is sitting here right in front of me tied to a chair."

Near chuckled. "Sayu. Do you not see? I have the two most brilliant detectives under my power. I'm not going to figure this out on my own, they will have no choice but to help me." He said, sounding like an evil scientist.

"Besides, if they don't help." I slammed my fist into my palm. "I'll give that bastard a reason to."

Silently, we all turned and stared at them for a while. Was there a way to wake them up earlier than nature intended? I felt an urge to slap Light until he wakes up and goes unconscious again, but I resisted. We couldn't have a broken detective, now could we?

"Wow. We are standing here, with Light Yagami and detective L, tied up and unconscious. This. Is. Crazy." Sayu said, sitting down on the floor, despite the vacant seats next to Light and L. I don't blame her. I would take the floor over sitting next to them any day.

Near was sprawled on his stomach on the floor next to her, writing down some theories, I supposed, on a piece of paper. He was hard at work already. I felt bad since this was probably the only excitement he had gotten for a long while.

"Got anything yet?" I asked him.

"No. I just started, but it's the work of Shinigami. That's a given."

He went back to his scribbling and Sayu watched him. I watched too, because if I looked anywhere else, I'd see either L or Light and that just made my stomach go queasy. It was a surprise to me how I managed to keep that bat held up and not throw up instead. I didn't even let them speak. Naturally, I went for Light first and L just stood there and watched, expressionless as ever. It wasn't hatred that made me knock him out too, it was just panic and the need to keep Near and I safe. I didn't have anything against the detective, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he hated me, it was partially my fault he died. God, we all just drove each other crazy, didn't we! But that's no reason for me to even start forgiving Light...and I guess that doesn't give L a reason either.

"Misa, when did you lose your sight?" Near asked me.

"Um, two days ago?" I answered.

"That must be when they came back...I wonder where they appeared. They must have walked since it took them two days to get to your house, but what if..."

Near went off into a mumbling of possibilities, but the more he babbled the more he lost me. I did not understand how that boy thought, it was like watching L and Light think. It made you feel very stupid...well stupider, in my case.

"Ugh..." Someone grunted.

I heard Near's pencil drop and we all spun to see L's head bob up and down as he awoke.

"What...ugh!" He closed his eyes tight. His head must be hurting.

"I'll get him some ice." Sayu said hesitantly, really just looking for an excuse to leave the room. I wish I had thought of that sooner.

"Misa...?" He muttered. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. My eyes were stuck on him and as he raised his head, all hope was lost. L was looking straight at me, and I knew he could read all my thoughts if he wanted to. He hadn't changed in appearance, but there was something a little off about him. I waved it away as either my own insanity, his insanity, or the blood trickling down the side of his face.

"...yes?"

"Is Light-kun okay?"

No, scratch that, something was definitely off.


	2. Chapter 2

Haircuts

Chapter 2

By, the Unlucky-charm

**A/N: I would just like to say thanks for the reviews and everything, I love them so. Also, just wanted to say that the story isn't really going to follow every single 'rule' of the original story. There are certain things you might find 'altered', but I don't think it's much to worry about.**

He grunted some more, attempting to lift his head up. His body was shaking, making the task more difficult than it should have been. He ended up just hanging his head and gazing up at everyone through his bangs. He looked as tired as he always had, I noticed. I guessed even laying in a grave for the past few years still didn't get him any rest.

"You hit him pretty hard." He said as a matter of factly. "Am I bleeding?"

"Here, I got it." Sayu stepped in between us, since the shock of him actually speaking to me stopped me from reacting to what he said.

She walked up to him and cleaned off the blood from the side of his face. "Sorry." She added, when he flinched a little.

"I panicked." I said, though remained standing still in the middle of the room. "I didn't mean to hit you."

"But you meant to hit Light-kun?" He asked me and I knew it wouldn't be the last of his questions.

"Yeah, so what?" Near spat. "Guy got what he deserved."

L silently chuckled and shook his head. "You did very well Near, I'm proud." He stared at Light and smirked.

I couldn't help but notice him doing so several times; looking at Light that is. What I had noticed before was still there, he was still different in a certain way. I ruled out the possibility of an altered personality, because the guy hadn't changed one bit.

"Thank you for acknowledging my efforts. That is why I hope you understand precautions I am going to have to take." Near explained professionally.

"Precautions?"

"I can't untie you. Not after everything that happened, the risk is too big for my comfort."

L flashed Near a challenging look. "Huh, that's too bad." He said and stood up from his chair and dropped the rope to Near's feet. "Because I strongly disagree."

Near took a step back and sighed. "I see. I guess we'll just have to hope you're not dangerous."

"I am. Luckily, none of you will have to worry about that." He went over to the couch and sat in the foetal position he loved so much. A moment of silence came over and I felt like everybody in the room knew he was thinking. When L was thinking, it was better you leave him alone.

"We should wait for him to wake up. I just hope he's all right."

I slowly began to realise that what was off about Light was also off about L. This also ruled out the possibility of physical change, but I just wanted to make sure.

"You're different." I changed the subject, no matter how much I knew that ticked him off.

"Am I?" He didn't seem too unhappy. "Why do you say that?"

Only then did I see the severity of what I had just done. He was probably thinking up a thousand theories a minute based on a simple question of mine. Unlike the Death Note days, I really had no ulterior motive, there was seriously something very strange about him that I couldn't put my finger on.

"I don't know." I mumbled, hoping he wouldn't look too much into it.

"Is it my hair? I've noticed when people see something different about another person, it's usually a haircut." He explained this observation to us, as if it had taken him so much work to figure out.

"How'd you get a haircut?" Sayu inquired, which actually seemed like a very a valid question to me.

"I didn't. I thought maybe it just seemed different because you hadn't seen me in so long."

Leave it to L to say something completely irrelevant to the conversation and waste time. He got up from his favourite position and began pacing around with his hands behind his bent back. His eyes never left Near and suddenly, it seemed that he had remembered something. It was hard to determine though, since L's expressions hardly ever changed.

"How is Mello?" He asked Near casually, as If he had had coffee with the blonde but a week ago.

Near's permanently hooded eyes and stoic expression shifted only slightly, as a sarcastic chuckle left his lips.

"Oh yeah, Matt and Mello are perfectly fine." He answered, dragging on the first syllables of the last two words.

"Oh yes, Matt. I had almost forgotten about him." L said out loud to himself. "You seem amused by my question Near, why is that?" He added, his tone morphing into an analysing one.

The room went silent except for the sound of the white haired boy's clothes rustling as he fiddled with a strand.

"No reason." He hung his head and uttered, hiding the sly smile appearing on his face.

L squinted his eyes at my housemate, his mind making a thousand calculations a second. At least this took away the attention from my earlier mess up.

"Hmmm." He hummed, his thumb placed between his teeth. "I would like to see them both." He said, words coming out slow, calm and suspicious.

Near and I prudently took a step back after that request set in, leaving Sayu standing alone and tense in the middle of the room. The only noise was the buzz of the light and the two consecutive snaps as she cracked her knuckles.

He must have sensed the mood, I thought. He was eyeing her curiously and froze, his hand dropping from his mouth to his side.

"You are all acting so strangely." He took a pause to glance at each of us. "I wonder why." He whispered to himself.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because you're back from the dead." Sayu spat at him, her furious eyes digging into his inquisitive stare.

"I see." He sighed. "I cannot blame you, Sayu, but there's a reason for my...our return." He snuck a glance towards Light. "But I need to discuss things with my successors." He explained and stood there, waiting. For what, I didn't know. Did he think we were going to listen to him just because he was back? He was no longer a detective and hadn't done much good to us when he was, so it's not like we owed him anything. Besides, the last thing Sayu was going to allow was for him to see Matt or Mello.

After the Death Note incident, I wasn't the only mess Sayu bothered cleaning up. Sure, Near stayed with me, but he wasn't the one out of the three who was fucked in the head. Sayu ended up taking in Matt and Mello once their wounds healed. Ignoring the emptiness she felt, she gave them the affection and care they needed. It was a sad thing to witness, but the end results were magnificent.

Mello and Matt had been scarred pretty badly, physically and emotionally. All the murders they had beheld and even committed...it all finally caught up to them with the distraction of Kira gone and drove them to the edge of sanity. Pressured into being number one, trained to become a genius, every shred of positive emotion taken away; enduring that at such a young age did some damage. They hadn't been regular children in the first place which, according to the therapist, was what triggered the odd quirks they held on to during adolescence. The goggles, the video games, the chocolate, the construction toys, the action figures... all unconscious attempts in salvaging what they could, of something that was lost a long time ago. But it was that one element. The one thing that put the pieces together, was how they had perceived the whole crisis as a game. The people dying, the mafia, the FBI; it was all but a game to them, it was never real. Until it came to an end and hit them straight in the face. I guess that's when they broke down. That's when they fell. Lucky for them, someone was there to catch them. She had absolutely NO reason to, but she did anyway.

She was good to us.

"No." Sayu put her foot down.

"Excuse me?"

"No, you can't see them." She said strictly without losing composure.

I shot Near a quick glare, letting him know that arguing with her would not be a wise decision.

"Miss Yagami, surely you understand that those boys are my heirs. I have every right to –"

"No! You don't, L!" She raised her voice as much as a calm person like her could. "That's not how it works. Yeah, they were your successors, but that's nothing more than a label, a burden they had to carry. They do not belong to you and you shall not see them."

"They are my responsibility, Miss Yagami." He said, and I opened my mouth to retort, but Sayu beat me to it. Instead, my legs unbent and brought me to my feet in outrage. If those two boys were anyone's responsibility, they were Sayu's.

"Near. Is. Asthmatic." She snarled at him.

L jerked his head back in modest surprise. "Is that so?" He said, sounding rather intrigued about the new piece of information about his number one heir.

"Yes." Sayu said and took a step forward. "But it wasn't you who ever bothered buying him an inhaler, was it, L? It wasn't you that took him to the doctor when his lungs stopped working properly! No, it was Misa." She shouted through clenched teeth.

"You weren't the one who rushed Matt to the hospital when he was electrocuted and neither were you the one to treat his 2nd degree burns!" She relaxed her jaw, but that only made the yelling louder. "Matt's an insomniac, L! He's afraid to fall asleep because he's scared he might get killed!" She was getting angrier and angrier. I stepped closer behind her and put my hand on her shoulder. What usually would have calmed her down, had gone unnoticed by her.

"Mello stopped eating afterwards. He just...stopped. But you weren't the one who took him to sessions and you weren't the one who was by his side when he screamed bloody murder in his sleep at 3 am. So tell me L, are they really your responsibility?" Sayu finished with a deep breath and a sorry expression.

L stood there and blinked at her and I swear, I could have punched him right there and then if it hadn't been for the sudden traumatically familiar voice that filled out the room.

"She's lying." Light grunted, his last syllable almost drowning in the painfully loud shriek that boomed out of my mouth. Still yelling, I shielded myself behind Near.

It was his voice. It was that velvety, hypnotising, sweet voice. The same voice that drove me mad, that pushed my to kill and cause chaos across the globe. It was Light's voice that manipulated me and everyone else who was unlucky enough to fall under his orders. No, it wasn't Light Yagami speaking. It was Kira.

"Oh, Light-kun, you're awake." The detective said and strolled over to what could only be referred to as his ex-rival.

"Yeah, could you untie me?" He said. L didn't answer him but stepped behind the chair to begin working on the ropes.

"NO!" I cried, my hands clutching tightly at the back of Near's shoulders. Why was he untying him? He knew that was Kira! He was fighting against him for so long, how could he just set him free like that?

I saw L staring hesitantly at me with his wide cow eyes and slowly drawing his hands back to himself. He stared down and Light and Light stared straight back at him, his chin tilted upwards. His chest rose as he took in a deep breath and barely stretched his lips to give the raven haired man a sly that I wasn't stupid enough to miss. What was going...

L nodded, as if that smile had told him a full story and took a step forward. My grip on Near got tighter.

"Miss Amane, he's harmless. There's not much he's able to do on his own. Look at him." He explained to me, taking his time pronouncing each word as if I were an insane person. I wasn't the crazy one here, though. If anyone was crazy, it was L for wanting to let a mass murderer free.

"He's not dangerous." He added and gently settled his left hand in Light's hair.

He was addressing me and nobody else for some reason. Were the other two okay with this? Was I the only one who thought it was a crazy idea? But an answer for L's question was not what my mind was processing at the moment. It was concentrating more on the fact that Light Yagami had a mad blush spread over his cheeks. Once in my life had I seen him blush, and that was when I had said something slightly perverted. Why was he blushing now?

"If he tries anything...we're here." Near whispered encouraging thoughts to me over his shoulder. It didn't make me feel any more at ease than I was five seconds ago, but it showed that he wanted to untie him as well. I might not trust L, but Near I could.

"Fine. Untie him." I said, my voice failing and trembling throughout the three short words I spoke.

In one swift movement, L removed the unprofessional bounds on Light's wrists. The brunette hissed and rubbed the reddened, burning skin.

"Are you okay, Light-kun?" L asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Fine, thanks." He whispered and stood.

Seeing him on his feet was like a slap to the face; I flinched. I cannot remember what I had found so attractive about him when all I could see now was simply terrifying to me. They had just let loose the biggest criminal of our time. Sayu sat down near her brother and Near made a move to follow, but I held on to him. My instincts were telling me to run and protect Near. They were yelling danger, but I couldn't get my limbs to move. All I was able to articulate, were my fingers which I kept digging into Near's skin, pulling him back.

"Misa, what are you –"

"Near, please stay back." I begged him in a whisper.

Our eyes met and he gave me a sympathetic look and began walking. He was either leaving me behind or dragging me with him; depending on how well I held on.

"What do you mean?" He said calmly as he awkwardly walked to the chair with my arm hooked into his, tugging him slightly.

"Near?" L arched an eyebrow.

"I believe he's addressing my brother." Sayu said, her pitiless frown still on her face. "So you think I'm lying, Light? Is that so? More importantly, why would YOU of all people even DARE accuse me of something like that." She spat at him. "At least IF I were lying, I'd be lying to a criminal and not the whole world you two-faced monster."

Despite the fear coursing through my veins, my brain was still sane enough to be able to quietly cheer Sayu on. She was standing her ground and, unlike me, doing a great job at it.

Even though barely any words had been spoken, I could sense the silent battles going on in the room. Near and Sayu vs. L and Light; the tension was obvious. Sayu would not give in. She would not forgive, let alone forget . All the hateful feelings she had no choice but to bottle up were going to explode at any second. She was ready to bring them the hell they put her family through.

Near, however, seemed to be a much different case. He was necessarily unhappy about the return of the two boys nor was he about to welcome them. What Near was trying to do was simply mark his territory. L was dead, at least he had been, and Near was clearly the successor, he wasn't about to accept L's return with an open mind any time soon, especially not after all the work he put into the case. Near and L were struggling for the role of leader. Who would be top dog and who would give the orders.

Whichever way, I wasn't taking orders from anybody.

Light seemed to have completely ignored his sister and turned only to L when he spoke.

"Sorry L, but Mello and Matt died." Light said as a matter of factly, as if he was doing L a favour by revealing the truth.

"No they did not! They were injured!" I attacked the conversation, trying to be helpful.

"You might have been too busy trying to be God and all, but they made a full recovery. As did I." Near said, his voice so eerily resembling L's.

Light looked puzzled. He had narrowed his eyes towards us and didn't budge as L talked to himself, mumbling theories and ideas. Soon, Near was joining him and my fear of losing my housemate grew. Near was like a crutch. If L took him away from me, I wouldn't necessarily fall, but wouldn't get too far either.

"Sayu, I would like to see Matt and Mello. I have a few questions to ask them." He paused and looked hesitant. "With your permission."

I glanced at Sayu and was relieved to find that her expression had not softened by L's sweet talk. But her answer surprised me.

"I get to stay in the room. You cannot be alone."

My head snapped towards her and my arms switched from Near's to Sayu's.

"No. Sayu no. Don't." I begged her. I wished the room hadn't gone silent because despite my low voice, everyone could hear me.

"I think Mello and Matt can handle it." Sayu whispered back to me.

"It's Sayu's decision, Misa."

I think I heard something in my head snap just then.

That bastard had the nerve to say my name? Did he just tell me right from wrong? Did he just DARE address me? I was about to vomit at the idea of Light Yagami talking to me, but anger overcame my terror and next thing I knew, I was standing alone in front of him.

"Shut. Up." I growled, my fists clenching by my sides. My old girly model self was on the verve of tearing up and slapping him. My knew self, however, was ready to beat the crap out of the idiot.

My arm had barely lifted itself, ready to connect itself to Light's face when he was pulled backwards. L held tight to his rival's arm, keeping him close and away from me.

"Miss Amane. I would like you to calm down." He told me and I swear to God, I would have punched him too if I wasn't so distracted. Light was looking at L with a bright red blush over his cheeks and his mouth hanging slightly open.

"Y-yeah..." I muttered and stepped back.

Although my eyes didn't want to detach themselves from the strange scene in front of me, I managed to turn my head around to get a glimpse at the other two. Near was indifferent, of course. He always was.

Sayu, on the other hand, had her eyebrows arched and was staring straight at me.

**A/N: Please review! In the next chapter, we get to find out all the background stories. So please keep reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Haircuts

Chapter 3

By, the Unlucky-charm

Let's just say that their reactions weren't as extravagant as one would expect. When the final words left my mouth slowly, to ease in the news, I was almost positive at least one of them would have a panic attack. However, once I had ended my sentence, their eyes widened, but barely for a second. Did they not understand? They exchanged glances, as if I wasn't there, but did not say a word to one another. With quick nods to each other and then me, Matt and Mello followed me to the car.

"Hey Sayu." Mello called me before I could step into the driver's seat of my grey Volvo.

"Yeah?"

"Um, you mind not mentioning..." He didn't finish, but I understood when his cheeks reddened and his eyes fell to the floor.

"When you're ready Mello." I assured him and closed the door behind me.

"For the record," Matt began as they both stepped into the car. "It wouldn't really bother me."

The rest of the drive was completely silent, but from the rear view mirror, I could tell they were having one of their telepathic conversations. Every now and then, I could hear a whisper swish by, followed by nods, head shaking and a lot of mouthing.

It was obvious they were in on something I wasn't, but I didn't inquire any further than that. Out of respect, I didn't stick my nose into their little private messages. One thing I had learned about those two when taking care of them; whatever it was, I would always find out eventually.

Never in my life had I been so happy about the doorbell ringing. Like some kind of puppy, I rushed downstairs at the sound, desperate for the company of someone who wasn't a complete genius. All day, I had stayed locked up in my room, completely terrified of coming out and having to face the two detectives. I only wished I could have gathered up enough courage to come out and tell Near to stay with me. But because I'm a total wimp, I did not budge. Therefore, I had no idea what had happened in the house during the first half of the day.

"Sayu!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around her. "I'm so happy you're back. Did you tell them?"

All three of them nodded and then, before I knew it, I was picked by two strong arms that pulled me up to level with the face of Matt Jeevas.

"You've been doing okay, Misa? He didn't touch you did he?"

I stretched my lips into a tired smile and shook my head. The only problem he had caused me so far was taking away my ability to sleep, and I doubt he had the power to do that intentionally, so there was nothing to blame him for...yet.

"Where's Near?" Mello asked, shooting the two huggers dirty looks from the corner of his eyes.

"Right here." A voice said from the kitchen doorway, followed by the appearance of a white haired boy with two taller companions.

"Oh shit." Matt said, with a boyish smile. He seemed to be more stoked than scared about the idea of the return of his mentor.

"Hello Jeevas. How have you been?" L asked him, barely even smiling himself.

"I'm okay. How was hell? Did you see Kira...or Light, or whatever the fuck his name is now?" He was smiling, but everyone in the room could hear the poison in it.

"No, not hell, but not heaven either."

"Oh! I told you!" Mello suddenly exclaimed and pointed at Matt who attempted to cover up Mello's mistake with a loud 'Sssh'.

I had no idea what was going on, but the look on Light's face was priceless. He actually looked...scared. This delighted me, but only for a while because Matt and Mello seemed to be having some kind of staring contest with L and Light.

"What do you know?" Near asked, taking a step forward to his orphanage companions.

"More than they give us credit for." Matt laughed as Mello nodded along, not breaking his gaze with Light. How were they not scared? I was scared FOR them! Those were the people that fucked up their lives! How were they just standing there laughing. Although, I had no idea what they were laughing about, it was kind of creepy though.

"Would you mind sharing?" The white haired boy continued.

"Jealous Near?" Mello asked, sounding more hopeful that anything.

"Just curious Mello." He confirmed.

There was another moment of silence, but the staring contest had ended. I repressed the need to hang on to Sayu because I could almost feel all these freaks thinking and it made me feel naked, exposed, not that I had anything to hide.

"Light-kun was lying." L finally said, sounding disappointed and...hurt? No, definitely not.

"No! It's just...I don't know L, I'm sorry." Light tried explaining himself but then apologized with defeat. Oh yeah, it was starting to show. Whatever it was that was wrong with them was slowly revealing itself. Defeat and Light were two words that did NOT go together...and neither were apologies. Light never lost himself in emotion. He had always stood strong and sure of himself.

"Why did you tell me they we're dead. That worried me, you know." The detective reproached and Light slouched, glaring at Matt and Mello from under his bangs, as if it was their fault they were alive.

"Oh, don't worry. It's normal he thinks we're dead." Matt said, narrowing his eyes at Light. "Idiot."

"Now, now Jeevas –"

"Hey! I'm sorry but you were shot 17 times!" Light bellowed out of absolutely nowhere. "And you!" He pointed at Mello. "She wrote your name on the paper!"

Mello and Matt, looking very amused about the whole situation, glanced and each other and grinned.

"Well, you two are here, why shouldn't we?" Mello said and shrugged, walking into the living room, followed by Matt.

"Near." I took this distraction as an opportunity to whisper at him. "What's going on."

Without anyone else noticing, my little white haired friend shuffled to my side. I leant over (I was wearing heels) so that he could whisper in my ear.

"I think some stuff went down in the Shinigami world."

A shiver went through my spine. Sayu was watching us. I think she heard. The Shinigami world was not good news, but if its what Near had deduced from the little information he had just been able to get, then it was probably true. Plus, now that he had mentioned it, it made sense. What else could bring people back from the dead?

"Wait a second." I heard Sayu intervene. "Matt was shot twice and he's fine."

"Nope. 17." Matt corrected her with a grin. "Sorry I didn't say anything Sayu. Didn't want you worrying. Plus, me and Mel hadn't quite figured the whole thing out yet."

I tried to put my brain to work: L style. So, L and Light are back from the dead and Matt and Mello are supposed to be dead... but they're not. So something must have gone wrong in the Shinigami world and that brought them back? Are they on some kind of afterlife mission? That sounded ridiculous. I hope Near and the others had a more logical approach to this than I did. Knowing them, they probably did. But how logical could things get with fucking Shinigami in the equation!

"Why didn't you tell us anything!" Sayu demanded to know and slammed her hand on the armrest of the chair she was standing next to.

"Didn't wanna freak you out." Matt shrugged as if nothing was wrong and then turned to L. "So..."

"We'll tell you if you tell us." Mello completed the sentence as he often did, practically bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"No."

"Okay." L contradicted Light. "Might as well Light-kun." He said and smiled at him, causing Light to jerk his head backwards, taken aback, and then bat his eyelashes.

"Well, when Matt and I survived we knew something was up." Mello began the narrative. "Nobody survives the Death Note, let alone 17 gun shots to the chest."

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Sayu cringe. Poor girl slept in the hospital for a couple of days because of that. Matt kept starting to bleed in the middle of the night. Yet another unpleasant episode Sayu and to handle on her own.

"We began to wonder how and ask questions, you know. The usual shit we do. We couldn't wrap our heads around it. We don't really believe in miracles, more like unnaturally bad luck, so we really had no idea what was going on. All we could understand was that some kind of force had let us live." Mello explained nonchalantly, making the heavy subject light and casual.

"But then Misa lost her Shinigami eyes. That gave us essential clues and we realised that everything was just slowly falling back into place, like it was before the incident." Matt continued, looking kind of excited to be able to take part in the smart circle instead of being locked up in his room making mechanical shit that would wake me up in the middle on the night.

"We thought it was pretty cool and shrugged it off, not wanting to bother the peace that Sayu and Misa had worked so hard on establishing." Mello paused and glanced at both of us. "Thanks, by the way."

I smile awkwardly and nodded while as Sayu mumbled a 'your welcome' and began to tear up. No one saw though. No one except for me and maybe Light.

"But then, a few nights later, the obvious hit Mello straight in the face. He woke up all sweaty and panting and when I asked him what was going on –"

"Why were you in his bed?" Near suddenly cut him off with the question. I studied the boy's face and I knew he was thinking evil thoughts. He was wearing that delicate smile that held so much. That little bastard, I knew what he was getting at and Mello's sneer seemed to get it too. Luckily, Matt to the rescue.

"I was getting a glass of water when I heard him freak out. Why would I be in his bed?" God, Jeevas was a good actor.

"No reason." Near mumbled and stared at the ground, letting his smile widen because no one could see.

"Anyways, when I asked him what the fuck was wrong he told me that he had just realised something. If everything was to go back to normal, including the fact that people who were supposed to die live instead, then that means that everyone who's dead was supposed to come back!"

"Now, this was a hypothesis, I wasn't sure..." He glanced at everyone in the room and then allowed himself one big, smug smile. "But I guess I was right"

The room went quiet. Completely quiet. There was no noise and then a rustling was heard. Sayu got up from her seat and stared straight into the eyes of Matt Jeevas.

"17." She whispered.

"Sayu? You okay?"

A dry sob escaped her throat as she repeated the number 2 more times to herself. "17...17 gunshots."

"Yeah..." Matt muttered and got up as well. "It didn't hurt though."

"Liar."

Stupid Matt...stupid, stupid Matt. How can you lie about such things? You who tears up when you burns himself on the stove top, isn't going to be even the slightest bit pained by 17 fucking bullets to the chest!

"Sayu –"

"Was this your doing?" She turned to her brother.

"Um, well it was the police, but –"

"So it was your doing." She concluded in his place. Sayu didn't need excuses right now, I could see that in her eyes. She was burning, her nostrils were flared and her eyes were fierce. This was close to the face she had made on the first day she took us in. Discouraged, given up on humanity, no more hope whatsoever and angry. One angry little girl who was given the biggest task in the world.

"Yes." Light said, but didn't meet her gaze. He stared at the ground and played with his shirt. What the fuck was that? He looked like a kid who got bullied at school! Who the fuck does he think he is, acting like a victim! The only thing he's victim of is his own loss of control and ego! Some God he turned out to be. And what? After all that superiority, now that he's reduced to nothing, he won't even look his sister in the eye? Why not? Does it hurt him to? It better hurt him too! It's not fair! He has to hurt. He has to hurt TEN TIMES more than we did!

"Fuck you Light." I heard myself say and I really couldn't stop myself. Sayu made me into an adult, a strong woman and I will NOT let her efforts go into vain. "Fuck you and how dare you look away like a coward. Look at Sayu when she's talking to you." I said and pointed at his sister. "I fucking hate you." I added because hell, I could.

"Now, now Misa –"

"L, shut up. I'm angry at you." I said childishly and turned my back to him. "And you too." I pointed at Matt and Mello. "You have to TELL us things like that!"

I was so disappointed right now. So very disappointed at the world. Sometimes I wish I would have jumped, because life's a two faced bitch. Just when you think things have calmed down and gone back to a happy normal, she turns around, slaps you in the face and stabs you in the back. That's life.

" What did I do?" L asked way too calmly for my temper to handle.

"You were so fucking CLOSE!" I exploded. "You practically KNEW it was him! You KNEW, didn't you? You could've stopped him!" This is it. This is what I've been holding inside for so long. I had no one to vent this to. My anger was divided into 3: Light, L and myself. Light for being what he is, L for not figuring things out when he most certainly could and me because I'm the biggest idiot on this fucked up world.

"I'm sorry I've upset you Misa."

"Yes L, it's okay." I sighed and went to him. I held his wrists tight pressed them against my forehead. "I'm sorry too." I sobbed. "I'm sorry you had to die L. But please, fix this right this time." L was here and everything felt okay. I knew Sayu didn't want him near us, but L just brought this...comfort, this safety. I hated his guts for fucking up the boys' lives, but I loved him to death for what he did because at the end of the day, Near, Mello and Matt are some sweet boys.

My grip wasn't tight, so L slipped his wrists out with ease and instead, held on to mine He tilted his head to look at my under my bangs because I couldn't bare to loot at him straight in the eyes. I wish I could apologize to Light for being a hypocrite. Turns out, I'm pretty much a coward too. "There's nothing to fix, Misa." He got up and holy mother of God, he hugged me. L's arms were around me. It was the most awkward situation I have ever been in, but my heart just melted and I began to cry. "I'm so sorry L." I kept whining in between each rough breath. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." I could hear Matt from behind me, along with "Misa, please stop crying" from Near. Even Mello mumbled my name. I should really get it together, but I was happy. I was happy Light could see this. Yes, I wanted to say to him, this is what you tried to destroy, but it backfired Light. You just destroyed yourself.

I opened my eyes but my vision was blurry. Tears were still swimming under my lids, but even so, I could still make out what was around me. I could still see our couch, our kitchen entrance, the corner of our table, the lamp and the light hanging from the ceiling. I could see Sayu teary eyed and smiling at me. I chuckled at her, letting her know I was okay. Letting her know that I was happy she stopped me that day. I'm happy I didn't jump.

"If you want Misa, if you're ready," L whispered, "I can tell you what happened."

I blinked the water out of my eyes and my vision cleared. "I'd like that." I said.

L let go and allowed his lips to stretch into a sweet smile. He sat down next to Light and patted the space beside him for me to sit. Even though he had hugged me, I glanced at Sayu for an affirmative but she wasn't looking at me and she wasn't smiling anymore either. She was frowning uncomfortably into the space next to me. I followed her gaze to Light and made eye contact with him. I rubbed my eyes, removing the last drops of water and got my vision back to normal. Everything had become clear...

Along with the daggers Light was staring straight at L.

**A/N: So I'm sure you've all figured out that the next chapter is going to be about L telling the story of what happened when he died. Anyways, I'd like to say thanks to all my awesome reviewers and readers in general, so thank you =) Ya'll make my shitty day less shitty, so that's totally non-shitty of all of you. Anyways...**

**I HAVE QUESTIONS!**

**Do you want this story to be all serious and complicated OORRR**

**Do you want it to be light (haha, bad pun) and kind of fluff...ish. **

**So if you guys could just answer to this in your reviews that would be great! Thanks :3**


	4. Chapter 4

Haircuts

Chapter 4

By, the Unlucky-charm

**A/N: Okay, so what we basically have here is the story of L in the Shinigami world and what happened there that caused him to come back along with Light. Don't expect some kind of amazing plot, I'm almost positive that I'm breaking a few rules from the original story. Seriously though, the original story is so amazing, I couldn't find a loop hole, so I kind of made a lot of shit up. Oh well...I just really wanted to get this chapter done so I could get back to Mello, Matt and Near. I love them so!**

He had been walking, that's all he remembered. He was in this deserted, burning land. He would have thought himself in hell if it weren't for the Shinigami roaming around. This led him to the conclusion that he had died and was sent in the Shinigami world. The death Gods wouldn't talk to him, but instead smile knowingly, showing off their sharp teeth. Usually, he would have analysed those looks he was getting, not to mention figure out a way to get out of that place, but he was just so...calm. He didn't want to disturb this newfound peace inside him.

Eventually though, as he hitch hiked through the barren landscape, he came across a figure, crouched against a jagged stone. It was a frail young man, pale looking and heaving sobs. His knees were pulled up against his chest and he had his face covered in the torn fabric of his clothing. L did not need to see much of the boy though, to know that it was Light Yagami.

Casually, he stepped up to him and stared down, not really sure what to do or even if he should do anything. He ended up just nudging him with the tip of his shoe. L didn't know what had come over him and why he wasn't reacting properly to all these odd things that kept happening to him, but he just felt so relaxed, like nothing could hurt him here.

"Hey." He said, causing the boy to finally look up.

Light's eyes seemed to be filled with fear more than tears when he looked at him. The young man on the ground froze up and began to shake, full body. His chapped lips moved but no sound came out. But L waited. Besides, that's what he had been doing all this time; walking and waiting for something to happen. He just stood there and patiently watched Light try to formulate a sentence, a sound, anything really. The boy looked hurt and in shock; he seemed to have lost his mind. But yet again, L remained indifferent. Maybe this was his eternal punishment for thinking too much during his lifetime. Now that he was dead, he was sentenced to an afterlife of carelessness.

"L..." He said his name helplessly. "I'm sorry, L."

L found this quite pathetic for the guy who planned on becoming God of the planet, but he shrugged it off, seeing as he was dead and that he did not feel like dealing with an emotionally unstable Light Yagami. Instead, he once again nudged him with his foot.

"Come on. Let's go find Ryuk." L said, because he believed that the time had come to have a good talk with the monster.

Light whispered something like 'okay' and got up, rubbing at his eyes like a child. So maybe this was Light's eternal punishment, thought L. He had to be careless and Light had to be week. Was that it? He wasn't sure. Ryuk would probably explain it to them if they ever found the death God.

The young man widened his teary eyes in fear and shook his head. L held out his hand to him, like he had done so many times before, during the last year of his life he had spent in Light's presence. Only back then, he thought he was helping out while he was just being betrayed step by step. He went along like a blind man, thinking he was winning, that he was getting somewhere in the case when in reality, he had lost the second he had trusted Light Yagami. The brunette's was the last face he had seen and the expression was a haunting one. That last second of his life was a painful one too, because only then did all the answers come rushing, letting him know how he had failed and it was too late, and forever would be, to fix it.

He pulled Light up to his feet, but the second he was on his feet, the brunette wrapped his arms around L's neck. He broke into sobs once more, gasping out apologies. L sighed.

"Now, now Light-kun, let's go see Ryuk." He patted the other boy's back.

Never would he have thought that he would end up like this, in the arms of his very own murderer. Light-kun was a child after all. A prodigy, but never a genius like L was. He was a smart guy who was given too much power. What was going to happen and ended up happening in the end was inevitable. Little Kira burned his fingers and now that it was all over for him, to L, he just seemed broken.

So, there they were now; the so called God of the new world and possibly the smartest living being ever to exist, stuck in what was neither heaven nor hell. The Shinigami world, L decided, was just a vast land of nothing.

He didn't know, nor could he tell, how long the two of them walked in the this 'land of nothing' until they came across another death God. He or she looked like any other one with that never changing expression that resembled a forced smile, the clothes knit to its rough discoloured skin and unfocused eyes, each one pointing in a different direction.

"Hello." L said, standing in front of the creature casually, blocking its way.

"Hello." It said.

"Would you happen to know where we could find Shinigami Ryuk?"

If he hadn't known any better, L could have sworn that the death God was choking. The Shinigami was laughing at him though, its uneven shoulders shaking with every chuckled.

"Ryuk? Ryuk is no longer." It answered.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Light spoke up this time.

The creature stared at the pair for a moment longer, his huge head shifting from left to right.

"Oh. I know you two." He said and made a sound that could be described as sarcastic laughter.

"Well, Mr. Kira and Mr. So-Called-Genius," It mocked, "Ryuk was executed two days ago."

Stunned, the two waited for an explanation. When the monster said nothing more, L was first to speak.

"How come?"

The God of death laughed, his claws shaking along. It lowered itself, crossing its legs under its robe and sat down in the dust.

"You might want to sit down for this." It said.

The two boys spared glances at each other and hesitantly sat down in front of the creature; Light crossed legged and L in his usual, odd foetal position with his thumb in his mouth. The Shinigami stared at them both and then shook his head for some reason, making small 'tut' noises.

"What is it?" L asked.

"Nothing. It's just hard to believe that two individuals as odd and..." He stared down Light. "and pathetic as you two caused so much trouble in two whole dimensions."

This time, the boys were actually confused. Had they really cause that much havoc in two realms? How did they effect the Shinigami world. As if it had read their minds, the Shinigami began his narrative immediately.

"There was a whole debate about it really. On whether or not Ryuk was guilty for what he did. Thing is that, and let me warn you that none of this is written in the Death Note, when a Shinigami drops his or her notebook in the human realm, it cannot be intentional."

"What? That makes no sense." Light cut in.

"I doubt a Shinigami would be careless enough to drop a notebook by accident without even noticing or bothering to pick it up." L added.

The creature sighed. "You don't understand. Now, if I were to go into your world and intentionally drop my notebook, that's fine. However, what I CAN'T do is plan out WHO will pick it up. That's the mistake the king believed Ryuk had made. He knew what was going to happen even before you had picked up the Death Note, Kira-san." The Shinigami laughed as if the whole thing was a joke. He seemed to be rather enjoying making fun of the two young men.

"Basically, Ryuk played you like a puppet Light. He had foreseen your actions and just wanted some fun is all. Thing is, this interference of his got way out of hand. The amount of humans dying each week had multiplied and was worsening with each passing day. Eventually, our King noticed and started cancelling out certain deaths. So all the latest murders caused by either Ryuk or the notebook kind of...didn't count."

Light and L listened to the story with all the attention they had to offer. It wasn't hard to do since the facts being given were very interesting indeed and began to spark ideas into their heads.

"Everything's going back to normal. Slowly, our King is restoring everything back and erasing some memories too. Unfortunately, he can't erase all of them, but what's important is that the damage done is being repaired."

There was a silence that stretched on. The things that this Shinigami was speaking of sounded made up and too good to be true. It was hard to wrap one's head around the idea of a King of Death bringing people back to life. If what the God of death just told them was true, it opened some opportunities for the two boys.

"What about us?" L asked, sounding like he was about to gamble with the creature.

"What ever do you mean?" The Shinigami answered with a sarcastic question.

"If everything is going back to normal, how come we don't get our lives back?"

The Shinigami brought up one of his claws to his mouth and began to think.

"Hm." It hummed. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" It said and stretched out his bony arm to point at a large dark tower in the distance. "That's where the King is. Not many people go to see him since things are so simple in this realm, you can just walk right in."

L was relieved to hear that they didn't have to go through a few tasks or make an appointment to get to see this King of theirs. This whole 'adventure' was starting to sound more and more like some kind of fairytale. He was the hero (obviously) and he was off to find the King and ask for his help. Once the King saw his bravery, he would reward him with money, chocolate and the traditional 'daughter's hand in marriage' thing. This Shinigami was his trusted conjoint and since Light wouldn't stop crying or looking super whiny, L decided that he was the princess. Although, he hoped that it wouldn't be HIS hand that would be offered to him. Pushing aside these childish thoughts, L stood up and Light followed.

"Thank you." He said and bowed only slightly, not sure if Japanese culture was to be applied in this case.

Light did not bow nor did he saw much either. He cowered next to L, grabbing tightly to his white shirt until the Shinigami finally left.

What happened next went by ridiculously fast, but all that he remembered was the final flash of white followed by natural sun rays shining into his eyes. He woke up in the graveyard with Light-kun laying right by him.

At least, this was the version of the story L told the group of people.

"So, he just sent you guys back?" Misa asked him suspiciously.

"Yes. He said he had been waiting for us and was glad that we found our way."

It's not that he was lying, more like he was keeping a certain part of the truth from the rest of the group. There was no real way of knowing, but L was almost sure that Light was thankful that he did so. He doubted the brunette would want that revealed any time soon. Even L himself hadn't questioned him about it. He didn't want to, seeing as it seemed to be a burden on Light's heart and bringing up the subject might cause certain problems.

What had actually happened was quite different. They had stepped into a room L couldn't remember and the Shinigami King had laughed quite loudly upon laying eyes on them. L laid down their case out in the open and then simply listened. It said things that L could easily be proven differently, but there was one thing the voice kept repeating.

"I can only send pure souls back to earth."

It spoke of purity. Yes, purity. L and Light weren't really the purest of people, but then again there must be something they could do about it.

"I can tolerate liars and sinners, Mr. L." It said. "But your friend is unstable. You may be sent back alone if you like, but he must prove himself to me, I suppose. If he can, that is. I need to see that he's not crazy anymore, so Light, I suggest you stop lying to yourself." It chuckled at Light's misfortune and leaned in towards them, his bony hands still gripping the armrests of his throne.

L contemplated the idea. He could leave, that was for sure, only Light would be left behind. He didn't owe the other boy anything, so why would he stay here with him until he 'proved himself'. The voice had spoken like a riddle and the way L saw it, Light was hiding something. With a single glance in the other boy's way, L could tell that Light knew very well what the Shinigami was talking about.

"Is that really the only reason why I have to stay here?" Light asked.

"No. But I'm willing to let you go if you put on a show for me. Come on now, it'll only take a second." It teased, making the tiny bit of energy left in Light's eyes drain out.

"I suppose you want to leave." Light said, but didn't look up from the ground.

"Yes." L answered. "But not without Light-kun. I'll wait for you to complete your task or whatever it is you have to do."

At that instant, Light's face just lit up. He didn't smile or anything, but he began to stare at L with complete awe. He took a step forward and opened his mouth, letting out a breathy 'why'.

"Because your my friend."

"I killed you." He answered bluntly.

"No, Kira killed Ryuzaki. L has no reason to be mad at Light." L said and forced a smile, since he wasn't very accustomed to stretching his lips like that; it had always made him feel weird.

He had no idea what he was saying or why he was saying it. He could change their names as much as he liked, but in the end, the guy in front of him had killed him. So, why wasn't he bothered by it enough? Seeing Light so vulnerable had affected him, but to what extent? He had begun talking to him like an old friend! His instincts were telling him that Light could be trusted, but his brain knew better and said otherwise. All he felt like doing was start all over with the guy, maybe that's how it was meant to be.

"L, I'm so sorry." Light repeated for the millionth time.

"Light-kun, I told you that –mmph!"

A pair of cold hands had slapped themselves over both of his cheeks, in sync with a pair of lips that had crushed against his own, connecting the two boys into a kiss. What on EARTH was Light-kun doing? Maybe this is what he was apologizing for, L thought but then mentally shook himself to stop thinking of stupid things during such a time. He was being kissed by a guy and it just felt...electric. Light's forcefulness was appeasing to L and suddenly, all he wanted to do was kiss back. It was not secret nor a surprise that Light was absolutely amazing at what he was doing, but L would have never believed that it would feel THIS good.

"Much better." The Shinigami laughed, once he had pulled away.

From then on, Light was the one to do the speaking, since L couldn't do much but blink, dumbfounded. He could easily say that that was an experience he never thought he'd live through, let alone be the experience that brought him back to life.

"What do we tell them when we return?" Light asked.

"How should I know!" The Shinigami rolled his eyes and waved them off. "Tell them you got haircuts."

"How is that relevant?"

It slowly grinned and leaned into them. "Because now that you have revealed your biggest secret, their not gonna see you the same way, so I suggest you make up an excuse pretty boy. You're little air of superiority and confidence isn't there anymore. Same goes for you, detective." It hissed, making a shiver run through both their spines.

Once L seriously thought about it, the so called 'king' was no better than Ryuk. L doubted that his motive was to make Light-kun be honest with himself, all he sought was entertainment. Now, he didn't want to generalize but he was pretty sure all Shinigami were alike in that department.

With a single glance Light's way, L understood the severity of what the Shinigami had made him do. Pure horror would be a way to describe his expression, as if L had kissed him instead of the other way around. That's one thing the god of death was right about; Light-kun seemed different. Haircut... that was a seriously bad excuse. However L calculated that 85% of the time, when one person noticed a change in the appearance of another, it was the hair, but those are just numbers and generalisations. He'd sure feel stupid though, answering like that. He knew he could come up with a more valid answer.

This whole ordeal was quite stupid. The king had made such a big deal of Ryuk's meddling and yet he was letting them go for such a low price.

The Death God had said that Light had to stop lying to himself, so what was that supposed to mean? L wasn't one to kiss people, but he knew how things worked concerning the number of muscles used and the types of kissing as well. He knew that when one person kissed another, it's usually to satisfy either the feeling of love or lust; two things that L could not wrap his had around, especially when it involved Light-kun and himself as a pair.

L, having experience neither love or lust, wasn't very pleased with the idea of venturing through those feelings with Light of all people. He knew there was something he wasn't in on here. He also knew that if he allowed himself to think any further, he would end up with the conclusion of a one sided love affair. Seeing as the idea of him being in love was still considered impossible to him, that only left one possible suspect. And yes, being L, he went there.

He couldn't even begin to imagine it! All that time, Light-kun might have had these feelings for him! I mean, you know a man has gone crazy when he ends up killing the one he was in love with. So...Light had to stop lying to himself, meaning he had to come to terms with his true emotions. No matter whichever way L looked at it, the evidence always led to the same answer that he was starting to dislike: Light was in love with him.

"Don't hurt yourself thinking too hard about it." Light suddenly spat at him interrupting his thoughts. "Let's just go." He said, sounding grim and avoiding eye contact...or was L the one avoiding it...?

Without another word, Light walked to the door and L followed close by. He wanted to run after him before he could step out, but Light's hand had already made it to the handle. The first crack that opened let out a bright white light that flooded into the room.

Next thing he knew, he was waking up with the smell of dirt invading his nostrils. He opened his eyes and came across a whole lot of green. He felt very lightweight, so sitting up was not a problem. However, one look at the boy laying next to him pulled him back to earth, slamming him hard against the ground. Memory of what had happened earlier (how much earlier, he could not remember) came back to him as he began to unconsciously shake Light awake.

"Hm...?" The brunette grunted.

"Light-kun, what should be do?" He asked even though he shouldn't have. L knew that a person's brain capacity was 20% lower when waking up than its usual aptitude.

"Where are we?" He answered with another question.

"Graveyard." He answered and stood up, pulling up Light along with him. The brunette stumbled and supported himself on L's shoulder, only to pull away abruptly seconds later. L believed that the memory came rushing back to him as well since he wouldn't stop gawking at him now.

"L..."

"Come now Light-kun, I believe we owe a certain blonde young lady an apology." He paused and darted his eyes from himself to Light. "And an explanation."

L began to walk with his hands in his pockets, until a hand was looped through his arm, pulling him back.

"L."

"Yes Light?"

"Nothing happened, okay?"

L shrugged the hand away and continued to walk out of the graveyard.

"Well Light-kun, I have no idea what your talking about."


	5. Chapter 5

Haircuts

Chapter 5

By, the Unlucky-charm

"I swear, I am going to KILL that bastard!" Mello shouted once he was finally home, safely locked in his room.

Once they had finally left Sayu's house, he had managed to keep his anger contained until they got home. But now, since he was here, he allowed himself to free the lion from the cage. He sat crossed legged on the bed, facing the headboard. He punched the pillow with the rhythm of his words and bounced angrily on the mattress. He was agitated, but Matt could tell that was only because Mello was scared.

Matt had just gotten out of the shower, and even with the sound of water pounding in his ears, he could still hear Mello's rant through the bathroom door earlier. Once he stepped out, Mello stared him down and blushed, his big brown eyes widening at the sight of Matt's wet, built, glistening body. However, that only lasted a second since Mello immediately caught himself and continued to take his anger out of the pillow.

"Babe, please calm down." Matt said, flipping damp hair out of his eyes.

"No! I will not." The blonde snapped back at him. "That asshole Near is going to reveal everything!"

"I'm sure he was just teasing." Matt sighed. "It's Near, he ain't gonna do shit."

"Shut up Matt, he totally will! You heard him yourself: 'Why were you guys in the same bed?'." Mello mimicked Near horribly. "He's trying to make me look bad in front of L!"

Matt snorted and rolled his eyes. "Right. Because us being together is just ruining your image completely, is that it?" Matt said, making sure the hurt was well heard in his voice. If he didn't, Mello wouldn't realise how cruel his words actually sounded.

Mello's head snapped back and he finally let go of that damn pillow. The blonde's face, earlier twisted in fury, melted into puppy dog-eyed look of regret.

"N-no Matt." Mello whispered and scrambled to his feet. "I didn't mean..." He fiddled with a stand of gold that framed his face and looked away from his lover.

He shuffled to Matt, standing a few inches shorter in front of him. He sheepishly reached out and ran a finger over the soft skin in between Matt's pecks.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, but angrily. "I fucking did it again didn't I?" He asked, staring down at the floor.

"Yeah, but at least you realised this time." Matt did not make a move to touch Mello, enjoying the effort the blonde was putting in to apologize.

They were supposed to be L's successors, but truth was that Near and Mello were the only ones who looked up to him. Matt had always been the free spirit, careless than the rest and working on his own specialties instead of trying to inherit someone else's. Without moving a muscle, he had made it to 3rd in line, maybe if he had actually made the effort and worked, he could have beaten Near. He would never say that out loud though, avoiding any arguments and ego's being hurt, but he had a feeling that L knew. L always knew.

He was content being 3rd; it gave him a view of the relationships between L, Near and Mello without being too involved himself. Matt believed that caring too much for too many people was blinding and suddenly, you couldn't read them anymore. All of a sudden, everything they did was right and saying otherwise was just painful. All that time, when Mello and Near were running after approval, he was enjoying himself and he didn't regret it one bit.

It was thanks to being 3rd that Matt also understood Mello's feelings. He didn't want their relationship revealed to L, in fear of losing that approval. Matt understood what that meant to him and he also understood how it could be awkward, like coming out to parents. If he understood, then he shouldn't have been upset, right? Well, maybe a small part of him wanted _Mello_ to understand for once. Maybe Matt was tired of 'understanding' and wanted to be 'understood' for once. Just maybe, Matt was tired of hiding this. But who cares what he wants. Why would he have a say in this? After all, if he had a problem he'd just have to wait in line... Third in line; always was and always will be.

Matt pressed Mello against his bare chest, leaning his head forward to take whiff of his hair.

"Mells, don't cry." He whispered.

"How can you even fucking tell?" Mello snapped, in a hoarse voice.

"Sayu cut you off, didn't she? You get emotional when you don't get your chocolate." He laughed, smoothing out a few stray blonde strands.

"Yeah..." He sniffed and tapped his finger over Matt's toned abdomen, as if he was testing the hardness.

That night, like many others, Mello insisted on sleeping in Matt's bed. He wore his jet black flannel pyjamas and his white wife beater. Matt, on the other hand, was only allowed a pair of boxers. Mello hated it when he slept with clothes on, claiming that he enjoyed the natural warmth that his body emitted and that the clothing was just in the way.

Once in bed and curled up facing each other, Matt couldn't stop kissing the blonde. His lips seeking that familiar taste of Mello's skin of which he never tired, the larger brunette refused top break contact between them.

"Matt..." Mello whispered half an inch away from his mouth. Their breaths mingled, similar to an indirect kiss that faded away between them too quickly.

"What is it Mells?"

"I can't tell him." He returned to the subject. "You do it." He added, his voice coming out muffled since he had nuzzled his face into his chest again.

"We'll let him find out, okay? How's that?" Matt cooed to calm him down, rubbing circles on his back, underneath the tank top.

"And then?" Mello continued and stared up at him. Even in the dark, his chocolate eyes shone somehow. Matt loved this vulnerability that Mello reserved for his eyes only. It made him feel needed and trusted too. Mello only let everything out in the open when they were alone and Matt's job was to be there and listen. Matt was not good with words, but it was in his actions that Mello found comfort.

"And then..." He kissed his plump, still lips once more. "And then we'll face him together."

L could not sleep. More like, he wouldn't allow himself to. He was not used to this bed and didn't like the room either. It was quite girlish and he felt foolish just sitting there in the dark surrounded by posters of either very masculine men or fashionable women. At some point into the night, he got up to flip over all the stuffed animals that were aligned around the room on shelves or on the floor. Their constant unblinking googly stares were starting to send chills through his spine.

L lay his head onto the pillow, bit it was no use. Even she sheets cause him discomfort with their strong, stinging scent of Hawaiian coconut and... L took another whiff.

"Orchids..." He whispered to himself in the dark.

The day had been hectic and he knew that he would suffer tomorrow as well if he did not get some shut eye. Nevertheless, his body was not on his side. L thought of sneaking into Light's or Near's room, but if he was caught by Sayu, he would never hear the end of it. Although he managed to sweet talk Misa into not hating him, Sayu would be a different story. He had watched her interactions with the rest of the group and he realised that she was quite the mother figure. Only then did L realise that he would be forever indebted to her and Misa as well, for taking such good care of the boys, something he had failed in doing so himself.

Misa had refused to take in Light-kun and L had refused to be parted from him, so they ended up staying at Sayu's along with Near, where as Mello and Matt went home with Misa. Their parting had been quite the sight to see.

Near had been curled up in a ball at the feet of the couch, twirling a white strand around his finger when Misa, Mello and Matt got up to leave. He did not watch them, nor did he say goodbye, but both he and Light-kun had been taken aback when Misa crouched down to his level, running her hand gently over the side of his face.

"Bye sweetie." She had said, leaning in a pressing a soft kiss in the middle of Near's forehead.

Judging by Light's reaction that mirrored his own, L believed that Light was thinking what he was thinking. As much as the concept of Misa and Near being a couple was the oddest thing he had ever let pass through his mind, it was definitely worth considering at this point and time. If he could come back from the dead, he saw nothing wrong with the Near and Misa pairing. L was not one to judge.

"Bye Misa." Near smiled back slightly and then leaned around her to wave goodbye to Matt and Mello.

The blonde responded with a quick lift of his arm, but Matt was a tad friendlier and bothered to genuinely smile, along with a 'bye buddy'.

But it was when Sayu's turn arrived that the idea of Mear or Nisa disappeared.

"Goodnight Mello." She sighed and wrapped her arms around the boy's neck, planting a kiss on his cheek. Mello smirked sweetly and awkwardly manoeuvred around the jacket he was halfway through putting on to return the hug.

"My turn." Matt grunted as he picked up Sayu once she had released Mello. She yelped and laughed, kicking her feet in the airs.

"Goodnight sweetie." She laughed and squealed when she was finally put down.

They were like a family, L noticed, although he was almost sure that had been mentioned already by one of them. Matt had always been lovable, but he was surprised to see Mello and Near actually letting people touch them. He remembered Near needing his space the most; the kid would always want him at least two feet away. As for Mello, he wasn't all that different, but L remembered someone being an exception to that rule, but who that person was had slipped his mind. This whole 'dying and coming back' business was doing a number on his memory.

When they left, it was time to go to bed. Unfortunately, L and Light did not receive the same affection that the other boys had. No, Sayu showed nothing but hostility toward her brother and L. Like he said, Misa was easy, but not Sayu.

Near actually wished him good night with a smile. The white haired boy even forced a grin to Light-kun, but Sayu still made no such effort. She brought Light some blankets and showed L to the guest room. And that's where he had been imprisoned since. Trapped in this chamber of girlishness and pleasantly intoxicating odours, he couldn't find a way out. It was either sleep, uncomfortably sit there and wait for morning or get up and walk around.

Turns out he didn't have to chose.

His door had suddenly opened, letting in a ray of dim light that came from the hallway. A silhouette stood at the threshold, a small one holding two transparent cups filled with an unknown liquid.

"Hello Near." L said.

"Hello." The boy responded and walked into the room.

He steps were slow and he walked in a crouched manner, somewhat like L only Near's knees were a bit more bent, making him resemble a homosapien trying to walk. When Near made it to the bed, he handed L the two glasses and climbed up onto the bed like he used to do when he was a child. Once he was comfortable, he took his glass back and began to drink from it.

"Is everything okay?" L asked after a moment of silence.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep." He answered, looking away as if what he had done was embarrassing to him.

"Thank you." L said and took a sip. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?"

"No..." Said Near, somewhat defensively. "I'm just relieved you're back."

L knew he had more to say, but he was a patient guy and waiting was something he could easily do. Plus, he had nothing better planned and Near's company was very pleasing to him as well, so no use complaining right? Near looked like he was having an internal struggle with himself and L wasn't sure what to do. A sudden rush of guilt hit him in the chest because he thought that maybe if he were Misa or Sayu, he'd know how to comfort Near. Maybe that was the problem here. They lacked communication. Sure, their relationship was deep, but it was as cold as ice. If they were as close as he claimed, why couldn't Near open up to him easily? Another pang of guilt came over him, this one making him feel all the worse. He decided to stop thinking before he hurt himself.

"Things are different." Near finally came to say.

"What do you mean?"

Near still refused to meet L's gaze. Was he hiding something?

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

The white haired boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a while.

"Because no matter what I say, you're going to look straight into my eyes, trying to analyse and understand every single detail. Then, you will make up theories and conclusions that aren't necessarily true." Near said in a single breath.

L contemplated what Near said for a while, until he decided that he was totally right.

"And...you'd like me to stop that?" L asked, tilting his head to the side.

Hesitantly, Near looked up to meet his gaze. When their eyes connected, he smiled and nodded.

"Yes please."

"Then I shall. So you may proceed."

"Right. As I was saying, things aren't the same here. We've all...grown. That's the only way I can put it without giving away too much." Near said and drained his cup.

"Secrets?"

"If they were all mine, I'd tell you."

"I see." L drained his cup as well.

"I just don't want you to be shocked, although I doubt there's anything that can shock you after all you've been through." Near said out loud what L was thinking.

The raven haired boy began to remember why Near had been his successor. They were similar in so many ways, but different in only a few. L didn't like to flatter himself, but none of his successors had reached his level. Even so, he was impressed with the results.

"I see. Will I find out eventually?"

"Yes, most probably. Don't worry though, no life changing matters, maybe just...surprising." Near said and set his cup on the ground silently. He then took a deep breath and blurted out: "But that's not all."

L arched his brows and nodded. "Okay..."

"We're not the only ones who are different."

"Do you speak of me and Light-kun?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. More him than you, but something is definitely off." Near said, sending a stern look toward L, meaning that he meant business. "It's bothering me. Not knowing what it is."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." L tried to comfort him.

Near hung his head, staring at the empty space in the center of his crossed legs.

"I was..." he paused. "I was hoping you could just tell me."

As he raised his head again, a few white strands fell over his eyes. When L saw this, it was as if a small alarm went off in his head. All of Sayu's and Misa's loving movements he had studied that day came rushing back and before he could gain any control over it, his arms had reached out and his fingers were brushing the locks to the side.

Near watched in wide eyed bewilderment as the tips of L's fingers glided down his cheek and back to the raven's side where they initially were. His jaw had dropped, causing his mouth to open and his hand had gone to the section of his cheek where L had touched.

L tilted his head and chuckled at Near's adorable startlement.

"Not my secret to tell." He said.

.


End file.
